Four provincial farm development programs in Quebec are to pay out to over 5,000 farm businesses a month ahead of schedule. La Financiere agricole du Quebec (FADQ), the provincial ag lending agency, announced Wednesday it will pay out about $9.1 million to businesses participating in the four programs effective Nov. 1. FADQ noted it made […] Read more
Tag Archives COVID-19
Four Quebec farm programs’ payments to roll early
FADQ to pay out $9.1 million on four programs on Nov. 1
BHP covers added costs for potash project
Long-awaited decision by BHP board now expected mid-2021
“Challenges” in completing the shafts for its Saskatchewan potash project have led the world’s biggest mining company to top up the project budget by 10 per cent. BHP, in an operational review document released Tuesday for its quarter ending Sept. 30, said its board has approved another $272 million to complete the watertight concrete and […] Read more
Klassen: Weather, COVID, feed grains pressure feeder market
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were $2-$4 lower on average; calves traded $2 to as much as $6 below week-ago levels. Southern Alberta received its first snowfall of the season last week, which hindered demand for fresh replacements. Feedlots always incorporate a risk discount when the first snowfall of the year materializes, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs fall on profit-taking, cattle firm on bargain buying
Concerns for beef demand still drag on cattle futures
Chicago | Reuters — CME livestock futures were mixed on Tuesday, with hog contracts falling on a round of profit taking while cattle contracts firmed on bargain buying. The benchmark December lean hog contract faced pressure after hitting its highest since Sept. 13, 2019, while February live cattle, which had fallen for four days in […] Read more
BMO regroups ag banking business
Ag-focused national banking team put in place
With COVID-19 serving to “accelerate” changes in the industry, BMO Bank of Montreal says it has reset its farm banking work under the oversight of an expanded national agriculture and agribusiness banking team. BMO announced the new team approach Oct. 14, describing it as “a national team of agriculture banking specialists — team members with […] Read more
Alberta gives oil and gas drillers municipal tax break
Reuters — Struggling oil and gas companies in Alberta will get a three-year break on municipal property taxes for land where they are drilling wells or building pipelines, the provincial government said on Monday. The Alberta government said it would also lower property tax assessments on less-productive wells and eliminate a provincial tax on drills. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures retreat from 11-month high
Cattle futures down on beef demand uncertainty
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures ended lower on Friday on profit-taking and disappointment over export demand, after prices climbed to the highest level in 11 months. Strong domestic demand for pork continues to underpin hog futures, analysts said, with the most-active December contract surging 39 per cent on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange […] Read more
Manitoba cattle sector gets COVID-19 AgriRecovery
Program to help offset costs from 'extraordinary feed period'
Manitoba cattle producers whose usual markets for finished cattle were temporarily out of reach this spring and summer may now be able to offset some of the resulting extra feed bills. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and her Manitoba counterpart, Blaine Pedersen, on Thursday announced the 2020 Canada-Manitoba Finished Cattle Feed Assistance Program, an AgriRecovery […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures climb to more than 10-month high
Live cattle lower on new lockdown concerns for beef demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures on Thursday soared to their highest prices in more than 10 months, as meat demand continued to strain processor capacity and COVID-19 cases are rising in the United States, traders said. Thursday’s daily U.S. hog slaughter was 490,000 head — 2,000 fewer than the same period last […] Read more
Editor’s Column: Our lines of defence during the COVID-19 pandemic
As we settle into fall, the reality of living with the COVID-19 pandemic long term is hitting home for all of us. The pandemic has changed how we work, how we connect and even how we celebrate a festive event or grieve a loss. We are having to adapt. Many of us are searching for […] Read more
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Grainews is written for farmers and often by farmers. It is about putting theory into practice on the farm. Each issue also features Cattleman’s Corner for cow-calf producers and farmers with mixed cattle and grain operations.